Joaquin Phoenix wants people to adopt, not eat turkeys this Thanksgiving

Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, an outspoken vegan, has urged people to adopt turkeys this Thanksgiving season instead of serving them, reported People.

Phoenix, 47, and his partner, actor Rooney Mara, 36, recently visited the Farm Sanctuary in Acton, California to visit rescued turkeys ahead of the US national holiday.

In a joint statement issued to People, the couple said, "Turkeys are emotional, intelligent, and social animals. It's chilling that more than 68 million turkeys will be brutally slaughtered and eaten during the holiday months alone."

"By adopting a turkey through Farm Sanctuary's Adopt a Turkey Project, you are not only supporting the rescue of animals caught in the brutal factory farming industry, but you are also protesting animal agriculture's immoral treatment of workers, and its dominating role in accelerating the climate crisis."

The couple went on to ask people to join them in "adopting a turkey and leaving them off your plates" during the season of giving.